Oakworth Capital Inc. Buys 1,491 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 81,738 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,491 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy accounts for about 0.7% of Oakworth Capital Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $10,020,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.7 %

NYSE VLO opened at $140.54 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $130.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.33. The stock has a market cap of $44.49 billion, a PE ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.